The Portland daily press., 1887-11-14

cher prior to 1870. don't think was ae-
quainted with her until then. My main Pnr-
pose In going there was TO get suDscIiption
from her. IL has been my main business IoI
q number OF years TO solicit suDseIlpthivns hnis,
for Bates College; | cannot tell just now
many. My field has been mainly In New
England.
Shortly after the death Of Mr.. Bates
may have communicated 10 Mrs. Belcher the
donations which Mr. Bates made to the col
lege in his will; | do not know. "a letter
from witness to Mrs Belcher dated Feb. 1,
1878, enclosing aclipping from a newspaper
relative to the will Of Mr.. Bates, was pro-
duced and put In evidenced do not re-
member what became Of the note for $4,000
which gave to make up the 100000 to com
plete the sum 10 be raised In order TO secure
the subscription Of Mr.. Bates for a like
amount. Mr.. Bates subscription was for
subscribed St1 900. That must have included
the 5000 note, as 81, 900 was all paid.
solicited the donation Of 5000 which Judge
Parker made. When / first called upon Mrs.
Beleher chs III, IN January or February, 1870
anything about having considered
the disposition of her property 1
do not recolleet that she spoke OF having
thought Of Bates College as an object OF
donation. She seemed 10 know all about the
college don't know as she then appeared
to take any great interest In education or
expressed any great interest In the church.
think the first time she told me she thought
Of making donation TO the college was In
1874 | don't think ever talked with her
about Bates College, OF donation. In the
presence Of anybody else. l sometimes
found other people In the house. | may have
talked about the college In their presence, but
nothing about her giving anything 70 the
college. / do not remember, but may have
said To her that the students would be very
| grateful IL She should make a bequest 10 the
| college. don't recollect any conversation
| about strewing flowers; very likely may
| have made some remarks, for l believe In
strewing flowers upon the graves OF men and
women who are good and trueJ 1t may be
that she did call my attention 10 the subject
Of Judge Parker's grave. IL had passed
from my mind, but since the testimony Of
Mr. Baekus | have been trying 10 remember,
and II seems 10 seems TO me we once had
some such conversation. | may have said
afterwards that / had been TO see Judge
Parker's grave. know did go there, and
found II not IN very good condition. did
MRS. Belcher seemed to have been very
much attached 10 Hiram; she seemed TO
want TO do as he had wished. have no rec
| election OF having enlarged upon the honor
| Of having a hall called by name; I may
have done so. l may have told her the stu
| dents would be very grateful, and that Il
would be the best monument she could build.
| have told great many people that the best
| disposition they could make OF their proper
| learning; that II would be better mOnu-
| ment than any In brass or marble. / may
have said that l thought Hiram would ap-
| prove her act Of giving 10 the college;
| don't recolleet. Don't know where she got
| the idea that was a poor man with sick
| wife. don't recOllect ever saying anything
| to her about 1t. The 500 she sent me paid
| TO the treasurer OF the college, and 1t win be
found on the college books. l do not recol-
lect converslng with her about meeting her
/ son In a better world, but presume 1 did.
MRS. Belcher seemed to become more and
more interested in the college from year 10
| year. l think she was very independent
/ woman; a woman with mind Of her own;
a woman whom 1t was difficult to persuade
| to do anything against her own judgment;
| think she was a remarkable woman In that
| respect, presume l enlarged to her upon
the good work Of the college, In answer to
her questions. She always asked me about
1t. think invited her to visit the college
/ a number Of times, as far back as 1878, and
| she said she would do so; that she wanted 10
| see the institution and the professors. When
| she told me about her nephews and nieces
having taken possession OF her house, she
| said that they had taken possession Of her
| house and taken away the authority from
| Estelle, and that 1t was reported that they
| had ransacked her papers, but she was salts
| fed that that was not true.
Redireet-'"fO make up my subscription Of
| Sll 900 to the college, / turned In my own
| house. This was nearly all the property i
| had at that time Mr.. Bates told me that
| ought not to have done so, and said that II
| he lived he should make me whole. The
| State has the right TO send ten pupils 10
| Bates College free Mrs Becher gave me
| as a reason for revoking the legacy to Mrs.
| Besse and not giving IL to her son, that ner
/ son did not need 1t that he was worth four
| OF five thousand dollars. At the time pro-
| posed TO pay Miss Higgins dollar day for
| remaining in charge. did not anticipate
/ any dispute about the probate of the will.
i That was merely for temporary convenience
| In view Of an early settlement Of the estate.
| / was willing to be responsible to Miss
| Higgins for her pay, and AN tOday II IL has
not been paid. In all my interviews with
Mrs. Beleher l never saw the least sign Of
the use Of liquors."
Adjourned until o'clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the coming in Of court in the afternoon,
Mr.. Belcher stated to the court that the pro-
ponents would put In no more evidence.
Mr.. Strout then introduced letter written
| by Dr. Cheney to Mrs. Becher while the
| former was In Europe, dated October 7, 1876,
and closing with the hope that Mrs. Belcher
| would still have the college in mind and COM
| plete all her plans In regard to it. Mr.. Strout
| then said that 1t had been the intention Of
| the contestants to introduce several witnesses
on minor matters, but 1t had been decided
/ not to do so.
The court then adjourned until this morn
| Ing at 10 O'Clock, when the arguments will
| begin.
CnpunQAn urWo